Distrust stops students from seeking help
They fear stigma, don’t believe their problems are kept confidential: Survey
05:55 AM Oct 15, 2009
by Leong Wee Keat
SINGAPORE – On Monday, a Primary 5 boy revealed to a school counsellor that he had not only picked up smoking, but also sniffed glue on two occasions.
“I felt I needed to tell the authorities, especially (regarding) the glue sniffing,” said the counsellor, who spoke to MediaCorp on condition of anonymity.
The boy however protested this, saying he had offered the information in confidence. “This becomes tricky,” said the retired teacher, who took up her role as school counsellor after 40 years of teaching. “Because of confidentiality, I could not divulge.”
Worries about privacy weigh on the minds of students who appear to have little confidence in school counselling, according to a study conducted on 578 students from six secondary schools.
The study, supported by the National Youth Council through its Youth Research Fund, was published in the latest edition of its publication YouthSCOPE.
The students completed written surveys, and subsequent 15-minute presentations to try to boost their confidence in the counselling process failed.
Among the responses from students: “Counsellors are helping the school to dig out information” and information is passed onto teachers. One female student even remarked five times that “all this talk about confidentiality is all lies”.
“This poses a difficult problem for the school counsellors. Simply selling the idea of counselling and promising confidentiality is not going to be the answer,” said lead researcher Ms Elizabeth Lau Xinyin.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) introduced in 2005 full-time school counsellors; previously, teachers took on this task on top of their classroom duties. An MOE spokesperson told MediaCorp that the deployment of one full-time counsellor per school was completed last year, with some schools having more depending on need.
“As such, it is too early to measure the effectiveness of the scheme. However, schools have indicated that they find their school counsellors a valuable support to teachers and students, in working with parents and connecting with the appropriate community resources to meet the needs of the students,” she said.
‘THEY THINK YOU’RE A MENTAL CASE’
But from the students’ point of view, there is a stigma attached.
A 15-year-old sought help after falling out with her friends but was ridiculed after being seen entering the counselling room. “They think you are a mental case and start passing rumours around,” she said.
Lum Yi Shang, 16, who is appearing for her O-level exams this year, relies on family and friends for support. Asked if she would ever approach school counsellors, she said: “I don’t even know them.”
One avenue that more youths are turning to, however, are helplines.
The Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) hotline received almost twice the number of calls last year than a year ago. Relationship, social and psychological problems were the top three concerns for those aged between 10 and 19.
“Callers have control as they can end calls anytime. They don’t have to reveal their identities and feel more secure talking to a stranger,” said SOS deputy director Tan Yoke Yin.
The Singapore Children’s Society, which runs the Tinkle Friend Helpline for primary school children, received 4,662 calls last year, the most in four years.
Boredom and school-related issues such as exam stress, poor performance and too much homework, are common complaints.
MOE TO MONITOR SCHEME
While students may perceive school counselling negatively, school counsellors say more are nonetheless stepping forward to seek help. And their problems are more complicated – not just friendship or peer issues, like in the past, but also relationship issues with teachers and family.
MOE says it will monitor the progress of the school counsellor scheme and make improvements where needed.
And while the counsellors do their best to win students’ trust, it is clear that specific conditions do warrant that confidentiality rules be broken – such as where there is a serious threat to harm someone, or serious thoughts about suicide or inflicting self-hurt.
For the 10-year-old smoker and his school counsellor, they have devised a plan that just may work – the boy will first cut down on his cigarettes, then kick the habit and stay clear of glue-sniffing. “If he continues to endanger his health, I will tell (on him),” said the counsellor.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC091015-0000100/Distrust-stops-students-from-seeking-help
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